Housing, Park Proposals Collide in Chelsea

By

Joseph De Avila

June 7, 2011

A small patch of property in the Chelsea section of Manhattan has stirred up a dispute between neighbors pushing for new park space and other community members who planned to use the lot for a housing development for middle-income families.

The site was previously occupied by the city's Department of Sanitation, which recently left the site on West 20th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. The department had used the site for office space and a parking lot

Park advocates rejoiced when they heard that a piece of city-owned land would become available in the park-starved section of East Chelsea. But the local community board already had other plans.

During the rezoning planning for the West Side Rail Yards in 2009, Manhattan Community Board 4 and the city agreed to set aside the site for "affordable housing." The plan for the 10,000-square-feet lot called for construction of a 75-unit, middle-income building.

Park backers were caught off guard when they heard the plans and said that there wasn't sufficient public debate.

"These are two vital priorities, but for us this is an issue of balance," said
Matthew Weiss,
president of Friends of 20th Street Park, who has lived in the area for three years. "There are no shortages of struggling properties in Chelsea that can be creatively repurposed to bring more housing."

In January, the community board voted in favor of reaffirming the affordable housing plan for the lot. Creating and preserving middle-income housing has been one of the main goals of the board in Chelsea.

"The board has always been concerned that it's losing its diversity," said
Robert J. Benfatto,
district manager of the local community board. "Mainly its housing costs. That kills you."

But creating park space for Chelsea's fast-growing community should also be at the top of the list of priorities, said
Geoffrey Croft
of nonprofit New York City Park Advocates.

"There is nothing in that East Chelsea area," said Mr. Croft. "It's severely underserved as far as playgrounds."

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who represents the area, has been trying to broker a compromise on an alternative piece of property.

Park proponents have proposed moving the planned affordable-housing project to other city-owned parcels of land in Chelsea, but officials with the speaker's office have said those sites aren't feasible.

"Affordable housing and providing park space are both priorities for not only my district, but the entire City," said Ms. Quinn said in a statement. "We've spoken to our neighborhood advocates and we're working diligently with them to try to find the best solution so we can provide both of these services for our community."

Now officials in the speaker's office are trying to identify unfinished housing projects in the area that can take advantage of the city's Housing Asset Renewal Program.

That program has set aside $20 million in financing for developers willing to add affordable-housing units to their unfinished or vacant projects.

If an alternative site can't be found, the community board would still favor affordable housing, according to Mr. Benfatto. Building affordable housing projects takes a long time, and it could be another five or six years before a new mid-income building hits the market in Chelsea, he added.

WSJ opens select articles to reader conversation to promote thoughtful dialogue. See the 'Join the Conversation' area to the rightbelow for stories open to conversation. For more information, please reference our community guidelines. Email feedback and questions to moderator@wsj.com.

Housing, Park Proposals Collide in Chelsea

A small patch of property in the Chelsea section of Manhattan has stirred up a dispute between neighbors pushing for new park space and other community members who planned to use the lot for a housing development for middle-income families.